University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
UNC Asheville
3-7-1, 2-1-0
USC Upstate
2-5-1, 1-2-0
Gardner's goal lifts Bulldogs to extra-time victory
09.29.2021 | Women's Soccer
Women’s Soccer tops USC Upstate 1-0 at home
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – UNC Asheville women's soccer and USC Upstate battled for over 100 minutes at Greenwood Field on Wednesday night, until Kaiya Boyd found Taylor Gardner for the game-winning goal in the 104th.
Wednesday marked the third double-overtime game of the season (Loss, tie) for Asheville, and was the third consecutive time it topped Upstate in extra time. The Bulldogs move to 3-7-1 overall, but are off to a strong conference start, improving to 2-1 in Big South play while Upstate drops to 1-2-0 in league contests.
"I think we've grown a lot from our overtime experiences earlier this year," head coach Andy McNab said of the Bulldogs breaking through for the overtime win. "We definitely learned from the ETSU game, and our attitude was just 'let's go win this.' It was a big three points for us in the conference."
The game was back and forth, but Asheville outshot USC Upstate 15-13, totaling seven shots on goal in the process. Wednesday also marks the second consecutive shutout win for Courtney O'Malley, who picked up four saves in the process.
"We're blessed with great goalkeepers here," McNab said. "Tonight, Courtney got the nod and came up huge on some 1-v-1's for us and picked up another shutout."
The Game at a Glance
- Gardner nets third goal of season to give Asheville extra-time win
- Bulldogs outshoot Spartans 15-13 with seven shots on frame
- O'Malley collects four saves, second straight shutout-victory
- Boyd dishes out third assist of season
How it Happened
Asheville controlled the possession for the majority of the first half with three shots on frame in the first 31 minutes. Upstate would challenge O'Malley towards the end of the half, but she answered with two big saves after the Spartans got behind the back line of the Bulldogs.
The teams traded chances early in the second as Madison Carter registered three shots. In the 77th, Boyd nearly broke the scoreless tie, ripping a shot off the crossbar as 90 minutes wasn't enough to settle the game.
Upstate forced O'Malley to make a save early in the first overtime, but neither team seriously threatened the rest of the way. After a chance from Upstate in the 102nd, O'Malley blasted a goal kick which Boyd would ultimately win, carrying the ball up the left flank and playing it into the box where a Gardner right foot gave the Bulldogs the 1-0 win.
"Kaiya did a great job of winning the ball and working it up the line," McNab said. "And it was a great one-time finish from Taylor. We were close all game, and I'm just proud of our team for sticking with it and getting a great result."
What's Next
Asheville remains home for its next contest, welcoming Charleston Southern to town on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Taylor Gardner (3)
Assisted By: Kaiya Boyd
GOAL by AVL Gardner, Taylor Assist by Boyd, Kaiya.
103:54
